The first service on a brand new route between Cambridge and Brighton via Gatwick airport has launched today (February 26).

The new service will mean passengers will be able to get on a brand new train at Cambridge Station, and not get off until they reach the seaside town.

The new trains, which are run by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), promise faster journeys to the South Bank, and on to Gatwick Airport, and then to Brighton, using the St Pancras Canal tunnels.

The Class 700 Thameslink train

A spokesman for the ThamesLink project said: “Today, we are giving you the first taste of an historic new ThamesLink service between Cambridge and Brighton, and Peterborough and Horsham.”

From today, the service will run from Mondays to Fridays, with six off-peak services operating through the new tunnels linking Finsbury Park and London St Pancras International. Stops in London will also include Blackfriars and London Bridge.

There are also plans to introduce free wifi on the new trains, but this will not be available when they begin service.

The new trains will be introduced incrementally from May 2018, on the Cambridge and Peterborough lines into London.

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